


Kitty's Christmas Fairy Tale

by danke_rose



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27362140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danke_rose/pseuds/danke_rose
Summary: Set in an AU where Excalibur didn't disband after the wedding of Brian and Meggan.  Kurt's not quite feeling the Christmas spirit, until Kitty cheers him up.
Relationships: Kitty Pryde/Kurt Wagner
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	Kitty's Christmas Fairy Tale

**Author's Note:**

> I just found this in my WIP folder, and was surprised when I read it, to find it wasn't half bad! So, while it's early for holiday thoughts, I decided to post it anyway. It's just a little fluff thing, set in this imaginary world where Excalibur didn't end. Kitty rewrote her original fairy tale as a gift to Kurt, but also an attempt to drop a subtle hint about her feelings for him. 
> 
> Not extensively edited; please forgive any glaring errors. :-)

It was snowing on Muir Island and the ferry wasn't running. The alarms were silent. There were no Bamfs scuttling about. In fact, hardly anyone was awake at 5am on Christmas morning. Kurt stood at the dark window in his oldest flannel pajamas watching the snow fall, resting his head on the cold windowpane.

Their team was down by half, Meggan and Brian married, Pete Wisdom gone, others gone long before that. Kurt didn't know when they'd find time or opportunity to recruit anyone else. Again, he considered giving up Excalibur and heading back across the Atlantic. The X-Men had offered them a place anytime they wanted it, he and Kitty and Piotr. But Kurt wasn't sure he wanted to go back.

And it was Christmas day, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd been to church. He'd missed all of Advent and the Christmas Eve Mass he'd have liked to attend. There had been no time to set up decorations at the Research Center, other than a hastily thrown up tree that Moira put together while they were out on a mission one day. It just didn't feel like Christmas.

Soft padding footsteps made him turn, and Kitty covered her mouth as she yawned. She folded her arms and shivered a little, her nightshirt not nearly warm enough for the chill of the front room, with its expansive picture window. Outside, the wind blew harshly against the side of the building, and no matter how well insulated it was, some of that crept inside.

“What are you doing?” she said coming to stand next to him and peering out the window, straining in the dark to see what he might be looking at. “We got company or something?”

“ _Nein_. I was just watching the snow.”

“No Santa this year. You must've been naughty.”

“I suppose.”

She rubbed her arms and shivered a little. He considered what she'd been through in the last year, with Pete and Piotr, SHIELD, and all the little Bamfs trying to kill her. He wondered if she wanted to go back to New York, and the X-Men. He had never asked. Her soft voice broke through his meandering thoughts.

“I know you guys are gonna do presents later, but...wait here, okay?”

As if he could do anything else when she asked. She scurried away and he followed her with his eyes, not bothering to pretend he wasn't watching the way her bare legs moved as she hurried. No one was there to see him admiring her.

She returned shortly with a shirt box wrapped in Hanukkah paper. “I hope you don't mind,” she said, indicating the paper.

“Of course not, Kätzchen.”

She shifted from one bare foot to the other. “I know it's early, but since we're both up, I thought I'd give it to you now. Not that Christmas isn't fun and all, but...”

“You don't need to explain or apologize for anything. Thank you for the gift. Do you want me to open it now?”

She nodded.

Inside was a hand-bound stack of paper. “Kitty's New Fairy Tale” was printed on the front.

“Did you rewrite it?” Kurt said, looking at her in surprise. He leafed through the pages and looked back at her.

“I did. Hopefully I haven't inadvertently created any new menacing little creatures, but...I just had this idea and I wrote it down. You get to read it first.”

He dropped the box to the floor and carried the story to the couch, his brow furrowing slightly when she didn't join him.

“You're leaving?” he said, as he sank onto the couch. He wasn't used to loneliness, having grown up with crowds of circus folks everywhere he went. Later, there were always teammates in the mansion, and even in Scotland, the most alone he'd been was before Excalibur, when only he and Kitty were together, recovering in this same building.

“I'll let you read in peace,” she said, and shivered again.

“You aren't bothering me, but you look chilly.” At her hesitation, he said, “And I would appreciate the company.”

Kitty had considered snuggling back into her bed. Funny that seemed a much colder option now. “As long as you don't mind,” she said and sat beside him, tucking her feet beneath her, and pulling the hem of her nightshirt down over her knees.

Kurt set the booklet down and disappeared, returning in a second puff of smoke with a blanket. “You're freezing,” he said.

He tucked it around her, then joined her under it, pulling one free corner onto his lap and offering his shoulder to her. She accepted, and already his Christmas was beginning to look much less bleak.

The story began almost the same as her original, but after the first paragraph it changed in important ways. There was Pirate Kitty of course, but she no longer sailed the seas with Piotr. Her constant companion was Lockheed, who replaced a stereotypical pirate's parrot, and she sailed otherwise alone on her ship, the Sword in Stone. Her quest to find the buried treasure led her through the Black Airea, past the Lighthouse of Doom, and through Sea of Others. Along the way, she met up with princes and would-be pirate foes, including Pillaging Pete, Prince Whodini of Stuartia, and the Immortal Iron Ivan. Each time she encountered a foe, the Mysterious Masked Man appeared to lend a hand, fighting alongside her with free flying jokes and catchphrases. He always disappeared in the end and left her to win the day and take the glory.

Halfway through, Kurt paused and set the book down. “This is incredible. I always knew you were a story teller, but this is by far your best work.”

“Thanks. I'm glad you like it. You should keep reading though.”

Her face was expectant and held an edge of nervousness. Usually she was confident in her storytelling abilities, and he'd certainly heard her tell a tale or two before. He patted her knee and continued reading about the rest of Pirate Kitty's adventures. He recognized everyone, just as he had once before, years ago. He wasn't certain, but he thought the Masked Man must be him, although the similarities ended after the hastily quipped phrases and the swashbuckling. With all the characters being pirates, he couldn't guarantee the masked man was him. He wondered if he would appear later in the story, or if she'd left him out on purpose. Perhaps because her original story had cast him as the romance-obsessed Bamfs, so madly in love with Pirate Kitty that they'd come to life and chased her around the Research Center last year. He glanced at her, tucked against his side with her cheek pressed against his shoulder. Why had she written the creatures that way, so long ago? Was that what she truly thought of him then? Maybe someday he could ask her, but not today. He returned to the story.

Near the end, the characters representing Brian and Meggan married in a lavish ceremony, just as they had in reality, and Kitty the Pirate found herself alone once more. But only for a moment. The Masked Man appeared at the reception and danced with her, never revealing his true identity. He agreed to sail with her though, and returned to her pirate ship with her after the wedding.

Kurt closed the book and held out his arms to hug her. “It was wonderful,” he said. “I'm so glad Pirate Kitty won't be alone any longer.”

Kitty stroked his arm as they watched the sun rise over the water, turning the snow shades of pink and orange before being lost again in the cloudy sky.

Gradually the others woke and joined them, all wishing one another Merry Christmas. Kitty slipped out from Kurt's arm to share in the morning greetings before sneaking out to her room to dress. In the kitchen, she made breakfast, listening to the sounds of conversation and occasional laughter as they opened presents. She could join them, of course, but not today. She sat at the kitchen table and sipped tea while Lockheed ate half her pancakes.

She had no gifts beneath the tree, having received all of hers during Hanukkah. Anything they wanted to give her they already had, not that she expected gifts. Her shirt was from Meggan, in fact, a soft, thin sweater in a shade of pink she probably would never have chosen herself, but which she discovered she liked rather a lot. She was already a third of the way into the book Kurt had given her, and she had some gift cards in her wallet for the next time she went into one of the big cities to shop.

For now, she was content that they were not under attack, and their little family was relatively intact. Her gift to Kurt had gone over fairly well, she thought, and he hadn't noticed anything obvious about it. She hadn't expected him to, but she'd been a little worried he'd take it the wrong way and be upset.

The kitchen door swung open and Meggan peeked in. She and Brian had flown up from England for the holiday to spend a few days with their former teammates.

“Kitty, why don't you come join us? We're all done with the Christmasy stuff now.”

Kitty smiled and took her tea into the other room. It was so nice to have Meggan and Brian back with them. It made her feel like the team was whole again. If only Rachel could have been there, too. In the main room, Meggan showed Kitty some of their gifts, and she talked about life as a married woman, while Kurt, Piotr, and Brian talked quietly on the other side of the room.

Kurt wished Kitty would have joined them, just for the company, but he hadn't wanted to ask her, worrying it might seem like he was pushing Christmas on her. He was glad when the gift exchange was over and Meggan fetched her from the kitchen. Having her there made it feel like the team was complete. He glanced across the room at her wistfully, thinking about how she was the only other team member who'd been there throughout it all. All five, going on six, years of Excalibur, she'd been at his side.

“She's married,” Brian said, and Kurt looked away from the two women with a jolt. Brian laughed, but Kurt didn't quite relax.

“I wasn't—”

“It's good to have all of us back together,” Brian said. “Well, most of us.”

Moira, Rahne, and Douglock came in through the back then, carrying breakfast rolls and more gifts. Kurt hoped Kitty wouldn't leave. He wanted to ask her to stay, only because she was part of the team. But by the time Moira's group had settled in, Kitty was gone again.

After the morning festivities, the rest of the day passed in friendly companionship. Brian and Meggan visited with all of them, Moira took the day off working in her lab, and Rahne taught them all a new card game she'd learned. Dinner was delicious, because Meggan cooked. Gradually the gifts disappeared into rooms and eventually the friends did, too. Christmas was over, and the next day would be simply another day on the calendar.

Long after the sun had set, Kurt returned to the window.

“Hey, are you all right?” Kitty said, finding him there for the second time.

He turned with a small shrug. Her sweater was a soft shade of pink that perfectly matched her cheeks when she blushed.

“ _Ja_. Mostly feeling thankful and grateful for a few things, disappointed in others.”

“Oh. So, life basically?”

He chuckled. “ _Ja_. It's snowing again.” He held out his hand and she joined him at the window, letting him pull her close with an arm around her shoulders.

“What are you disappointed about?” Kitty asked, leaning her head against his and putting her arms around his waist in an affectionate embrace. How far they'd come, from a time she wouldn't hug him, let alone look at him, and now, she sought his touch as much as he did hers.

“Not too much. I've missed Mass, but unless the weather clears, I won't be making it there anytime soon.”

She gave him a squeeze. “I'm sorry. I understand how you feel about that. I'm lucky if I make it to Temple a few times a year.”

“I shouldn't complain,” he said.

“You aren't. I asked. Now, tell me a good thing.”

He smiled down at her, showing his fangs. “You're here.”

“Aw, sappy,” she said, but gave him another squeeze.

“Can I ask _you_ a question?”

“Sure.”

“Was I the Masked Man in the story?”

She knew he'd ask eventually, but even so, she felt the butterflies flocking in her stomach like birds evading a predator. Or maybe like those dinosaurs in that one movie...

“Oh. Couldn't you tell?” she said, stalling.

“I wasn't entirely sure, though it's my best guess, since otherwise, I'm not in it at all.”

She sighed. She'd made this commitment. She'd follow it through. It was Kurt, after all, and he wouldn't abandon her over it, if he'd even picked up on it. The hint was so subtle, he could easily overlook it.

“Well, of course he's you,” she said, as if it was no big deal. “Who else would fight bad guys with me on a pirate ship?”

He didn't answer her at first, just stood there with his arm on her shoulders, thumb brushing back and forth idly. When he did respond, she almost wished he'd stayed quiet as her heart dipped lower with every word he spoke.

“You are special to me, Kätzchen, and very dear. You've been a true friend for many years, and I value your friendship. I trust you with my life, with my dreams and secrets, and I enjoy the time we spend together.” She tried to edge away, but he held her fast. “You make all my days better because you are in them. You make me feel whole and human, and I can't tell you what that means to me.”

Kitty wished he'd hurry up and say it, get it over with.

“I would sail the seven seas with you,” he continued instead, “Or travel all the worlds in the multiverse. And as long as you were with me, I'd be content and happy. I have never known a friend like you, never felt such devotion to another person as I do with you. There is only one tiny flaw in your story, Kätzchen.”

“Oh?” she said, somewhat dejected but trying to hide it. “What's that?”

“I would never leave you as that Masked Man did, again and again.”

“It's just a story,” she whispered.

“But this is not. This is the truth. I would not wish to spend my life without you in it, and I would suffer all the remaining years of my life to keep you in it, as my friend if not my love.”

“Well,” she stammered, “that's, uh, kind of what happened in the story...she was too scared to tell him how she felt so he kept leaving and...”

“You don't need to be scared of me.”

“I'm not afraid of you,” she said. “I'm only afraid of losing you.”

“You cannot lose me. Even in death, I would wait for you.”

She stepped into his arms, blushing fiercely as she whispered, “I love you, Kurt.”

“I love you, too, whether you are pirate or princess.”

“When am I ever a princess?” she said, lifting her head, a wry twist to her lips.

“Don't you remember? That first world we went to?”

“Oh. Right. Of course.”

“Tell me more about this Masked Man,” Kurt said, pulling her closer until he could feel the rise and fall of each breath. “When he returned with Pirate Kitty to her ship, what happened?”

Kitty grinned. “Why don't you finish the story?”

He bent to kiss her and her arms went around his neck. Happiness welled up in his chest, and he thought perhaps he hadn't been naughty after all. At least, not yet.

  
  


  
  



End file.
